Whoopi Goldberg

Comedienne, actress, author, talk show host and political activist Whoopi Goldberg was one of the more unique personalities to arrive on the entertainment scene of the 1980s and went on to become a la...
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R&amp;B superstar Usher has spoken out in defence of his protege Justin Bieber once more as the fall out from the Baby singer's racial slur controversy continues, insisting the youngster is "unequivocally not a racist".
The hitmaker has come under fire this week after two old video clips, filmed in 2009, emerged online showing him using the N-word in a racist joke and singing about joining notorious race hate group the Ku Klux Klan. Bieber has issued two formal apologies to date, claiming it was a "reckless and immature mistake", and his mentor Usher subsequently branded the scandal "unfortunate", but vowed to stand by his 20-year-old charge, stating, "Every person that has grown up, grows up with something. It ain't (sic) just perfect from the beginning."
On Saturday (07Jun14), Usher took to his Instagram.com page to further express his feelings about the situation, which has threatened to derail Bieber's career. He shared a photo of himself with Bieber, and in the accompanying caption, he wrote, "As I have watched Justin Bieber navigate difficult waters as a young man, I can tell you that he hasn't always chosen the path of his greatest potential, but he is unequivocally not a racist. "What he was 5 years ago was a naive child who did not understand the negative power and degradation that comes from playing with racial slurs. What he is now is a young man faced with an opportunity to become his best self, an example to the millions of kids that follow him to not make the same mistakes."
Usher is not the first African-American celebrity to come to Bieber's defence - 50 Cent, Soulja Boy, boxers Floyd Mayweather, Jr. and Mike Tyson and actress Whoopi Goldberg have also voiced their support for the youngster. Meanwhile, the embattled singer has reportedly turned to Christianity to help him get through the backlash and was allegedly baptised in a bathtub this week (ends08Jun14).

Andres Otero/WENN.com
Usher has broken his silence over Justin Bieber's race scandal, branding the controversy "unfortunate" but vowing to stand by his protege as he works to restore his reputation. The Baby hitmaker has faced a backlash since two old video clips, which are believed to date back to 2009, emerged online showing him using the N-word in a racist joke and singing about joining notorious hate group the Ku Klux Klan.
Bieber apologised after the initial clip surfaced on the Internet over the weekend (31May-01Jun14), admitting it was "a reckless and immature mistake", and on Thursday (05Jun14), he stated, "I just hope that the next 14-year-old kid who doesn't understand the power of these words does not make the same mistakes I made..."
Usher refused to comment on the controversy while out in Los Angeles earlier this week (begs02Jun14), but he has since opened up about the scandal to editors at Nylon magazine, saying, "It's unfortunate. I hate some of the things I hear. Is it all true? I don't know. But I will tell you this: success comes with a price. Every person that has grown up, grows up with something. It ain't (sic) just perfect from the beginning."
The Burn star goes on to reveal the future of Bieber's career now lies in the way he handles himself following the fall-out. He continues, "I gave every bit of advice and always told him it was up to him if he really wanted this (pop career). Now that he has it, as an adult, it's his to manage. Do I turn my head in shame based off of what I see, what I know? Nah (sic), I don't because it's all part of life's process. Am I in it with him? Yeah."
Usher's comments emerge after Bieber's rapper pal Lil Za and hip-hop mogul Mack Maine spoke out in defence of the singer, and now African American actress-turned-TV presenter Whoopi Goldberg has sided with the youngster, too. The Oscar winner says, "You have all these wonderful rap songs and all these artists using the (N) word and they're saying it and it doesn't have the same meaning to them... (and Justin Bieber) is Canadian and n**ger doesn't mean anything in Canada."
Former boxing champion Mike Tyson has also offered up his opinion on the situation by agreeing with Goldberg. In a Twitter.com post, he writes, "I agree with you @whoopigoldberg. We all make mistakes and I believe @justinbieber is learning."

Former American football star-turned-actor Terry Crews ha become the first African-American star to offer embattled Los Angeles Clippers owner Donald Sterling support after the sports boss became one of the most unpopular men in the U.S. following a racial controversy. Sterling hit the headlines last month (Apr14) when audio of him making remarks about African-Americans went viral.
The ill-advised comments prompted an immediate backlash and the 80 year old was fined $2.5 million (GBP1.6 million) by officials at the National Basketball Association for the remarks. Bosses at the organisation are also trying to force Sterling to sell the team.
Sterling has since apologised for his remarks in a CNN interview with newsman Anderson Cooper and now The Expendables star insists Sterling should not be forced to sell his team for regretful comments he made to an ex-girlfriend.
He says, "We need to forgive Donald Sterling... Who here is not guilty of saying something in anger...? I've said things about my family, my wife, my kids that, if you record it, you would think I was the devil himself.
"I don't think they should yank the team from him. The world has become so politically correct, no one is able to say anything anymore and it's ridiculous... People can say something by mistake and now they can have their business yanked... it's a dangerous precedent."
Crews is in the minority - Whoopi Goldberg, Spike Lee and Queen Latifah are among the African-American celebrities who have publicly attacked Sterling for his comments.

Michael Douglas, Oprah Winfrey and former U.S. First Lady Hillary Clinton helped veteran U.S. newswoman Barbara Walters celebrate her TV retirement on Friday (16May14) by making surprise appearances on her longrunning daytime show The View. The 84 year old's final episode as co-host of the talk show aired on Friday and Douglas, Winfrey and Clinton were among the guests who turned out to wish her well after a career spanning over five decades.
Joining Walters and co-hosts Whoopi Goldberg, Jenny McCarthy and Sherri Shepherd at the top of the show, former U.S. Secretary of State Clinton said, "I can't believe this day has come, and I can't believe it's for real."
Actor Douglas then reunited with his old pal to reminisce about their longtime friendship and gushed to Walters, "You're an extraordinary person, inside and out. You have the warmest heart, you are the most generous person I have ever seen, you give the greatest parties and I love you, I really do."
Media mogul Winfrey also appeared on air to heap praise on Walters, who became America's first female co-anchor of a network news programme in the 1970s, explaining, "You're the reason I wanted to be in television. You shattered the glass ceiling for so many women."
Winfrey went on to introduce a slew of female TV newscasters to the show to salute Walters, including Diane Sawyer, Arnold Schwarzenegger's estranged wife Maria Shriver, Katie Couric and Robin Roberts.
Walters, also known for her Most Fascinating People TV interview specials, won't be retiring completely - she plans to continue working as a producer of The View, the panel talk show she launched 17 years ago.

Oscar winner Whoopi Goldberg is developing a reality show based on her family. The Ghost star is developing a documentary series, which will centre upon her actress/producer daughter Alex Martin's family and her longtime friendship with actor Lee Weaver's daughter Leisa.
Goldberg says, "I wanted to tell the story of two best friends who experience all of the major phases of a woman's life together. Alex and Leisa have been friends since they were 17 and are both children of famous people, and are now approaching 40."
The series will also follow Goldberg's granddaughter, Amara, as she moves back to the family home after becoming a mother.
Whoopi adds, "My daughter just became a grandmother and her daughter just turned 24 and they are just trying to figure their lives out. This is really the story of an all-American family for a new generation; it looks a little different than the storybooks, but it's filled with love and laughter."
44 Blue Productions, the company behind Mark and Donnie Wahlberg's hit reality show Wahlburgers, will produce the new series along with Goldberg.

Comedian Katt Williams has helped to kickstart actor-turned-talk show host Arsenio Hall's crowdfunding campaign to raise $1 billion to buy the Los Angeles Clippers basketball team after donating $1,600 (£1,000) in cash. The sports team's owner, Donald Sterling, is facing having to sell the franchise after he was banned for life from the National Basketball Association (NBA) for making racist remarks that were caught on tape.
A number of celebrities, including Oprah Winfrey, rap moguls Sean 'Diddy' Combs and Dr. Dre, boxing champ Floyd Mayweather, Jr. and actress Whoopi Goldberg have all expressed an interest in buying the team, and now Hall has thrown his hat into the ring, too.
The Coming to America star announced his plans at the start of The Arsenio Hall Show on Thursday (01May14), when he unveiled a campaign video, in which he reveals it has been a dream of his to own a professional basketball team since he was a little boy.
In the promo, he says, "The Clippers deserve a better owner. They deserve an owner who will represent everybody. There's only one problem, I ain't got a billion dollars...! I want you to bet on me... You buy it, I'll run it. Let me put your money where my mouth is."
After the video, which appeared to be a spoof, aired, Hall insisted he was "serious about this", adding, "We're gonna do this together, that's why I'm starting the Help Arsenio Buy The Clippers (crowdfunding) campaign."
He brought the topic up during an interview with his guest Williams and brazenly asked for a donation.
Williams happily obliged, and proceeded to pull out a wad of $100 bills to hand over to his stunned pal.
The funnyman admitted he wanted to donate more, but couldn't afford to due to his ongoing tax problems, quipping, "My business partners at the IRS (U.S. tax authorities Internal Revenue Service) have authorised me to put $1,600 into whatever you plan on doing. (It's) not much... (but) we are in the Clipper business!"
Williams has been slowly paying off his tax debt after being hit with a $3.2 million (£2 million) bill stemming from 2008, as well as another $829,352 (£518,345) invoice from the following year (09).

Buena Vista Pictures via Everett Collection
Once upon a time, the phrases "Circle of Life" and "Hakuna Matata" were not a part of the American lexicon. That was before Disney's The Lion King exploded onto movie screens during the summer of 1994. The tale of the young lion Simba — voiced in the movie by Jonathan Taylor Thomas and Matthew Broderick — who grows up to overthrow the reign of his evil uncle Scar (Jeremy Irons) became a global phenomenon, augmented by the songs of Elton John and Tim Rice. Even if you know that the film was nominated for four Academy Awards, here are some fun facts about the movie that you might not know.
1. The movie was the first Disney feature-length animated film to be created from an original script idea. All of the company's other animated movies had been based either on books or long established fairy tales.
2. The original script was titled King of the Jungle and centered on a battle between lions and baboons. In that version, Scar was the leader of the baboons. At some point during development, the animation team realized that lions don't actually live in the jungle.
3. At one point in the production, animators considered having the song "Can You Feel the Love Tonight" sung entirely by Pumbaa and Timon, much to the horror of John and Rice. A version of the song using Nathan Lane and Ernie Sabella, the voices of the warthog and meerkat, was recorded but not used. Similarly, the song was almost cut from the movie entirely until John lobbied to have it kept in.
4. Many of Disney's top animators at the time didn't work on The Lion King because they were working on the animated film being produced concurrently, Pocahontas. Most people at Disney thought that the historically-based film would be the more prestigious of the two.
5. It was the second Disney animated film, after Beauty and the Beast, to win the Golden Globe for Best Musical or Comedy.
6. When Irons' Scar delivers the line, "You have no idea," it is a direct nod to one of the actor's most famous roles as Claus von Bulow in Reversal of Fortune. In that film, Irons' character delivers the line in answer to his lawyer calling him a "very strange man." In The Lion King, he says it after Simba accuses him of being "so weird."
7. Timon's famous line, "What do you want me to do, dress in drag and dance the hula?" was improvised by Lane.
8. When Irons strained his voice while recording "Be Prepared," actor Jim Cummings, who voices the hyena Ed, stepped in and imitated Irons to get the song finished.
9. Originally, the intention was to pair Cheech Marin with his longtime comedy partner Tommy Chong to voice the hyenas Shenzi and Bonzai. They could never get in touch with Chong to reach an agreement, so Whoopi Goldberg was tapped instead.
10. James Earl Jones and Madge Sinclair, who voice Simba's parents, also play a royal husband and wife in Coming to America, where they reign as the king and queen of a small African country and parents to Eddie Murphy.
11. Scar makes an appearance in a later Disney animated movie. He's seen as a rug during a sequence in Hercules.
12. There was a controversy over the formation of dust during a scene when Simba flops on the ground. Activist Donald Wildmon, founder of the American Family Association, asserted that the dust gathered to form the word "SEX" if you looked at a freeze frame of the scene and was an intentional subliminal message aimed at promoting sexual promiscuity. The producers said that really it was meant to be "SFX," as a reference to the special effects team that was working on the movie. In the films rerelease, some additional dust was added to the scene to blur any letters.
13. There was additional controversy over similarities between the film and a Japanese animated TV series entitled "Kimba the White Lion" that was produced in the 1960s. Disney has maintained that any similarities are coincidental, but Broderick has admitted that he thought that they were adapting "Kimba" when he first saw the script.
14. Three of the songs from the film — "Hakuna Matata," "The Circle of Life," and "Can You Feel the Love Tonight" — were nominated for the Academy Award for Best Original Song. "Can You Feel the Love Tonight" ultimately won the Oscar, and John's version of the song went to No. 4 on the singles chart in the U.S.
15. Rice, who had provided the lyrics for Disney's Aladdin and started his career as the partner of Andrew Lloyd Webber (Jesus Christ Superstar, Joseph and the Technicolor Dreamcoat, Evita), was made a knight by Queen Elizabeth II in 1994. John was knighted in 1998. The duo reteamed for the Broadway musical Aida in 2000.
16. Before playing Timon and Pumbaa, Lane and Sabella had previously worked together in the Broadway revival of Guys and Dolls. After The Lion King, they were paired again on Broadway in A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum. At first, Lane and Sabella were cast to be two of the hyenas, but their chemistry was so good that they were switched to voicing Simba's pals.
17. Lane and Broderick went on to star as Max Bialystock and Leo Bloom in the Broadway musical version of Mel Brooks' The Producers, and reprised the same roles in the film version. Reportedly, the duo saw each other only once during their voice work for The Lion King… passing each other in a hallway.
18. The stage version of The Lion King, which has been running since 1997, is the highest-grossing Broadway show in history.
19. The Lion King was the second highest grossing movie of 1994, behind Forrest Gump, in the United States, but it easily outdistanced Tom Hanks' movie worldwide and grossed over $768 million during its initial theatrical release.
20. The Lion King remains the highest grossing hand-drawn (or hand-drawn/computer animation combination) film of all time. It's the second highest grossing film in the history of Walt Disney Animation Studios behind only Frozen.
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Dyslexic actress Whoopi Goldberg has been feted for helping to spread awareness about learning disabilities after struggling with the undiagnosed condition as a child. The Ghost star was honoured by academics at Vermont's Landmark College in her native New York on Tuesday (29Apr14), when she was handed the school's Luminary Award.
Goldberg admits she was flattered to receive the prize and reveals she often wonders what her life would be like had she been able to attend a school like Landmark, which specialises in teaching students with learning difficulties.
She says, "They're a great school. They're the first college who (sic) takes care of kids who learn differently and, you know, for years and years, people called me stupid and put me in the slow classes and made fun (of me). I have dyslexia and I can't sequence numbers and letters, and when I get tired it gets hard to read, and so these guys have put this college together and it's so magnificent... It's fantastic."
She adds, "I was happy to get this award... I just wish it had been around (when I was younger). I wonder, periodically, what it would have been like to go to college... There is still time (to go back to school), but you know and I know, it ain't gonna happen (sic)!"

Oscar winner Whoopi Goldberg has publicly appealed to wealthy businessmen and women to join forces with her in an attempt to buy the Los Angeles Clippers sports team after owner Donald Sterling was banned for life from the National Basketball Association (NBA) for making racist remarks that were caught on tape.
Sterling was handed the severe punishment and fined $2.5 million (£1.6 million) by NBA commissioner Adam Silver on Tuesday (29Apr14) after audio footage of him rebuking a girlfriend for posting a photo of herself with black basketball legend Magic Johnson on Instagram.com went viral over the weekend (26Apr14). Silver also declared he plans to strip Sterling of ownership and now Goldberg, who is a New York Knicks supporter, has announced her interest in becoming a basketball boss.
Speaking on her U.S. talk show The View on Wednesday (30Apr14), she said, "I'm very happy about all of this (Sterling's punishment), because I'm personally looking for a kerbillionaire (sic) to help me buy this team. I'm serious because there are no women who own any NBA teams or no teams anywhere seem to be owned by women."
Meanwhile, hip-hop entrepreneurs Dr. Dre and Sean 'Diddy' Combs, who recently topped a Forbes.com poll as 2014's Wealthiest Hip Hop Artist with an estimated fortune of $700 million (£437.5 million), have also expressed an interest in buying the Clippers. In a post on Twitter.com, Diddy writes, "I will always be a Knicks fan, but I am a business man #DiddyBuyTheClippers #NameYourPrice".
And Dr. Dre, who placed second on the Forbes rich list with a $550 million (£343.8 million) fortune, tells TMZ.com, "I'm thinking about it... yes."
Reports suggest boxing champs Oscar De La Hoya and Floyd Mayweather, Jr. and media mogul Oprah Winfrey are also interested in purchasing the Clippers from Sterling. Mayweather, Jr. tells the Los Angeles Times he is "very, very interested" in taking over the team with "a group of billionaires". Longtime Clippers fan Frankie Muniz has also expressed an interest in buying the team - he took to his Facebook.com page on Wednesday (30Apr14) and wrote, "I am a Clippers fan. I've never been a fan of the owner. I never wanted the team to win for the owner. I am a fan of the players, the coaches, and I root for the team to win for the fans. Clipper Nation. I root for the team to win for themselves. For their dreams and aspirations." The actor also tweeted, "I am buying the Los Angeles Clippers."

Israeli director Talya Lavie has become the toast of this year's (14) Tribeca Film Festival after picking up two major awards for her comedy Zero Motivation. The movie, about a unit of young Israeli soldiers, was named Best Narrative Feature and the winner of the Nora Ephron Prize, which honours the work of female filmmakers, at a gala in New York on Thursday night (24Apr14).
Paul Schneider and Valeria Bruni Tedeschi picked up acting prizes for their roles in Goodbye to All That and Human Capital, respectively, and the Best Screenplay (Narrative) was handed to Guillaume Nicloux for his work on The Kidnapping of Michel Houellebecq, which also earned the Special Jury Mention. Meanwhile, Marshall Curry claimed the Best Documentary Feature prize for Point and Shoot, and Alan Hicks picked up the Best New Documentary Director title for Keep On Keepin' On, about the relationship between jazz legend Clark Terry and a young blind piano prodigy.
The winners of the 2014 Tribeca Film Festival Awards were chosen by 33 jury members, including Whoopi Goldberg, Jeff Goldblum, Lake Bell, Toni Collette and directors Catherine Hardwicke and Gary Ross. In total, the juries handed out $150,000 (£93,750) in prize money. The film festival wraps up on Sunday (27Apr14).

Joined the new syndicated version of "Hollywood Squares" as the center square; also executive produced through One Ho Productions; earned 4 Emmy nominations

Voiced one of the hyenas in Disney's blockbuster animated hit "The Lion King"

Joined the cast of "Everybody Hates Chris" (The CW) in a recurring role as an overly protective grandmother of a neighbor girl

Starred in the comedy hit "Sister Act"

Returned for a third time to host the 71st Academy Awards

Appeared as Death in the combined live-action animated fantasy film "Monkeybone"

With Barbra Streisand, served as executive producer of the Lifetime movie "What Makes a Family"

Co-authored the play "Moms Mabley" about the life of the pioneering black stand-up comic

Cast in the short-lived NBC sitcom "Whoopi" as Mavis Rae, a member of a former one-hit wonder singing group

Began performing with the Hudson Guild children's program and the Helena Rubenstein Children's Theater at age eight

Voiced the character of Stretch the Octopus in the animated feature "Toy Story 3"

Formed One Ho Productions

Provided voice of Gaia for the animated series "Captain Planet and the Planeteers"; received Daytime Emmy nomination

Summary

Comedienne, actress, author, talk show host and political activist Whoopi Goldberg was one of the more unique personalities to arrive on the entertainment scene of the 1980s and went on to become a lasting, formidable presence over the decades that followed. Mining her often unflattering early background for material, Goldberg first came to notoriety with her eponymous 1984 Broadway character sketch show, directed by the renowned Mike Nichols. Her auspicious feature film debut as the abused Celie in Steven Spielberg's acclaimed drama "The Color Purple" (1985) garnered her accolades and overnight stardom, which were then combined with box office gold and an Oscar for Best Supporting Actress for her hilarious role in the blockbuster romance "Ghost" (1990). Other projects like "Sister Act" (1992) added to her commercial success, while her work with fellow comedians Billy Crystal and Robin Williams on the annual "Comic Relief" benefit concerts allowed her to do the two things she loved most - make people laugh and help those in need. A frequent personality on television, Goldberg acted as host of the Academy Awards no fewer than four times before becoming one of the more outspoken and controversial co-hosts of the daytime talk show "The View" (ABC, 1997- ) in 2007. One of the few people to have won an Oscar, Grammy, Tony and Emmy - not to mention the prestigious Mark Twain Award for Humor - Goldberg both entertained and inspired people across the globe, regardless of their sex, race, creed or color.

Met while co-starring in the romantic comedy "Made in America" (1993); Goldberg defended Danson after he performed a risque monologue in black face at a 1993 Friars Club Roast in honor of her, provoking some guests (i.e., talk show host Montel Williams) to walk out ; Broke up in 1994

Eddie Gold

Companion

Together from 1987-90

Robert Johnson

Father

Abandoned family when Goldberg was a toddler; Died May 25, 1993 of stomach cancer and complications from HIV

Emma Johnson

Mother

Raised her daughter as a single mother after Goldberg's father had left the family; Died on Aug. 29, 2010 after suffering a stroke

Met in 1995 while co-starring in "Eddie" (1996); Dated from October 1995 until early 2000

Alexandrea Martin

Daughter

Born in 1973; father, Alvin Martin

Alvin Martin

Husband

Met when Martin was Goldberg's counselor in the early 1970s; Married in 1973; father of Goldberg's only child Alexandrea Martin; Divorced in 1979

Amarah Martin

Granddaughter

Born Nov. 13, 1989; mother, Alexandrea Martin

David Schein

Companion

Lived with Goldberg from 1980-85

Lyle Trachtenberg

Husband

Met on the set of "Corrina, Corrina" (1994) where he was unionizing crew members; Married on Oct. 1, 1994; Divorced in October 1995

Education

Name

St. Columba Church Parish School

Washington Irving High School

Notes

Goldberg was honored by the Starlight Foundation as Humanitarian of the Year in 1989.

She was named Woman of the Year in 1992 by Harvard's Hasty Pudding Theatricals.

"I believe that racism is something that we're always going to live with. What we in America have to decide is whether we're going to be covert racists or overt racists. The O.J. trial and the church burnings in the South have uncovered a festering problem that no one wants to talk about." – Goldberg to Interview Magazine, January 1997

Goldberg received an honorary degree from Brandeis University in 1997.

"A confusion over Ms. Goldberg's date of birth stems from when she was a young actress starting out. According to her, at the beginning her career, she lied about her age and added six years. Her correct birth date is 1955, not the 1949 as is often reported." – from the Daily News, Feb. 1, 1998

Goldberg was involved in controversy in the summer of 2004 when, at a fundraiser for John Kerry at Radio City Hall in New York, she made a sexual joke about President George W. Bush, by waving a bottle of wine, pointing to her genitals and saying: "We should keep Bush where he belongs, and not in the White House."

Her stage name was taken from whoopee cushion, which she initially used as her stage name: "If you get a little gassy, you've got to let it go. So people used to say to me, 'You're like a whoopee cushion.' And that's where the name came from.'" – from The New York Times, May 17, 2008

Goldberg contributed to a book about women's reproductive rights, detailing how she self-induced an abortion with a coat hanger when she was 14 years old.

On Aug. 4, 2010, Goldberg reportedly had a shouting match with White House gatecrasher Michaele Salahi backstage at "The View" (ABC). Salahi and her castmates of Bravo's "Real Housewives of D.C." were interviewed earlier on the show, and she claimed Goldberg allegedly hit her during the segment. The following day, Goldberg addressed the controversy on her show. "I make no apology for my choice words...her husband got in my face, had his BlackBerry out and started taking pictures of me," she said.